A car salesman who rides with the HEYTHROP HUNT, Thomas Edward Hastings Macfarlane of Wootton, Woodstock, Oxfordshire was found guilty of criminal damage at Banbury Magistrates court on 12th September 2012. Whilst Hunt Monitor Mrs Judy Gilbert of High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire was observing the Heythrop hunt on 7 January 2012, Macfarlane approached the rear of her vehicle and used a sharp implement to surreptitiously cut the wall of Mrs Gilbert’s rear offside tyre, bursting it and causing it to deflate. This action effectively immobilised her, preventing her from monitoring the hunt for the rest of the day.

This is not the first time Mrs Gilbert has suffered criminal damage to her property whilst observing the Heythrop Hunt. On two previous occasions a total of four of her tyres have been deliberately destroyed.

Mrs Gilbert said, “ I am very pleased with the verdict and that at last someone has been brought to justice for an attack on my vehicle. To suffer this kind of attack is very upsetting and such abominable behaviour should not be tolerated.”

Note: Thomas Macfarlane lives with Rebecca, Marchioness of Blandford at Wootton, Woodstock. Rebecca Brown was previously married to Charles James Spencer-Churchill, Marquess of Blandford was born on 24 November 1955. He is the son of John George Vanderbilt Henry Spencer-Churchill, 11th Duke of Marlborough owner of Blenheim Palace, Woodstock.

Following last week’s attempt by Surrey Union riders to knock people down and issue death threats, six sab groups convened for a return visit to show we will not be intimidated. The groups from South Coast, Brighton, Croydon, Chicester and Guildford descended on the Surrey Union kennels at 5 am and waited for the hunt to leave.

Surrey police who did nothing last week, decided that these actions could be classified as intimidation, unlike death threats, but we stood our ground, and no arrests were made for these dubious reasons. A single hunt supporter did drive her car at speed at saboteurs and then take photos from a distant, which was again not seen as problem by the police.

As the sun rose high in the sky it was clear that the hunt was not going to leave the kennels so all groups left.

If any hunt tries to stop our members by threats and physical violence watching their activities it is clear they are up to no good. Such hunts will receive similar treatment and find themselves with many more sabs than usual to contend with.